Live Reviews : Taberah, Elm Street and Electrik Dynamite @ Cherry Bar, Melboune 15/11/2013

It was my first time visiting Cherry Bar and I have to say that I dug this venue as soon as I set foot through the door. An intimate little bar with red velvet curtains (I’ll assume they were velvet, I didn’t fondle them), a red bar etched in names and carpet like a starved Venus fly trap, all on AC/DC Lane. I respect a sticky floor; it keeps me on my toes and reminds me of my mortality when I forget, move a fraction and nearly face plant over my own feet. Situated in an alley, it reminded me a lot of the Goth clubs in Sydney circa the late 90s, in which I spent a large chunk of my teenage years, dark and full of regulars, but welcoming to any stragglers or rookies who might stumble in.

Necromancer Album Launch

The show kicked off with Electrik Dynamite, a home grown metal/rock band that definitely lived up to their name sake. Let me just start off by saying that nothing screams 80s metal to me like a keytar, except a hot chick playing a keytar, & definitely a large dose of 80s hair. Still not enough 80s for you? Try a teal bass, black spandex leggings, white scrunch socks and some Richard Simmons-esque white aerobics high tops. Yeah, now you’re feeling it. But enough about how awesome they were aesthetically, on with the music!

Electrik Dynamite opened with ‘Electrify the Night’ and ‘Showgirls’ and by mid-way through their set I was thoroughly impressed by how many sick riffs they were able to continuously pump out. The energy they focused into every song was unreal. Add to that a drum solo and ‘Reality Awaits’, a song from the new upcoming album. I was blown away. Electrik Dynamite put on a tight set, full of dynamism and 80s flair. Their songs are well written and performed to within an inch of their proverbial lives. If their intent is to “summon the spirit of true rock ‘n roll, whilst combining it with the technical proficiency of traditional heavy metal”, they have absolutely achieved this.

Next up was Elm Street, a local Melbourne traditional metal band. Now I am a huge fan of A Nightmare on Elm Street, so of course I was pretty sweet on these guys before I’d even heard their tunes. However when I saw the drum set up Tomislav Perkovic was messing with, my heart nearly stopped. Having been engaged to a drummer for three years, I’ve learnt a little something about the percussion section. My ex fiancé had rocked a fairly impressive rig, but it looked like peanuts in comparison to this gargantuan structure.

If you’re into your drum porn, I strongly suggest you catch these guys live. Thankfully Elm Street are also an incredibly good band as well. They played a lot of new tracks including ‘Heartracer’, ‘Heavy Mental’, ‘Sabbath’ and ‘Face the Reaper’. There was a lot of audience participation and the crowd was super into their set from start to finish. They rocked out some fierce melodic patches some almost invoking a Santana type vibe, which may come across odd, but it really worked and added an alluring depth and dimension into their songs. These guys come across as a band that are pretty meticulous when it comes to music. Elm Street formed in 2003 and this really shines in both their song writing and their performance.

Last but certainly not least was headliner Taberah. These Tassie metal dudes have charisma for days. Stage presence is certainly their specialty. Their intermittent fill of jokes and humorous segways to plug their merch didn’t go unappreciated by the crowd. They have a loyal fan base and rightfully so, Taberah have the stance of an established power metal band and the music to back it. They threw up ‘Hammer of Hades’ for starters, followed by some ‘Stormchild’, ‘Requiem of the Damned’ and ‘Necromancer’. Although they had started out a tiny bit flat, by the time Jono Barwick was drinking anything that was put in front of him, it was clear that it was going to be a good night. And hey, maybe they were a little weary after their long haul across the sea on the Spirit of Tasmania.

Boat trips can be a bitch. By the time they called up Dale Schober and Electrik Dynamite’s Danny Britain for a rather appropriate cover of AC/DC’s ‘Jailbreak’ they were firing on full cylinders. Overall their performance was very enjoyable and they embody the spirit of many of the infamous 80s Aussie pub bands such as AC/DC, The Choirboys and The Angels. And as a child of inner city Sydney in the 80s, this is very high praise coming from me. I love a rough band who get into the spirit of rock n’ roll but still manage to get out all of their set without falling down drunk. Taberah put on a great show with solid tunes and an engaging performance. I’ll definitely be catching them again next time they’re around the traps.

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